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Popular pregnancy stuff I'm not doing, part II

Bloggy peeps like us often feel the pressure to do the things other bloggy peeps do, myself certainly not excepted. I find myself feeling bad that I’m not doing ____ and wondering if I’ll regret it, until I remember that hey, I live in the real world, not the blog world, and though I love Blog Land, it is my prerogative to choose or forgo a trend.

So, the (probably) final list of popular pregnancy stuff I’ve chosen not to do*:

Maternity photos: I contacted my wedding photographer to inquire about newborn/ maternity photos and was told she doesn’t like to do newborn shoots (fair) but that she’d be happy to come out of retirement to do a maternity shoot. Pro maternity photos were my solution to the fact that I hate snapshots of myself, but I never got around to scheduling it, which says to me it’s just not a priority. So, skipping them!

A themed nursery: Despite my lack of design-y-ness, the kiddo’s room is really pretty cute… but I’m not kidding myself here. It’s not all coordinated and adorable and blog-worthy. At some point I’ll post pics here for posterity’s sake, but just like I wasn’t the wedding blogger you’d go to for great, interesting, mind-blowing wedding DIY’s, I’m not the super awesome nursery designer. Meh. He’ll never know the difference.

Weekly bump pics: Yea, so, I hate being in pics. I’m sure I look like myself in them (a rather depressing thought), but the idea of having to suck it up and snap the darn things was too depressing and stressful so I just never did. So far, no regrets, and if I do, I’ll remind myself that any regrets would be far outweighed by the weekly misery of doing the thing. No, thanks.

Being “ready and waiting” ahead of time: The general recommendation is that you get your nursery set up in your second trimester when you have a ton of energy. (Note: “a ton of energy in second trimester” is a unicorn, or, was for me.) But we’re more the “take on huge and time-consuming construction projects in preparation for baby” than the “have a nursery design plan and execute it beautifully” types. So, my husband is single-handedly building a fence (after also converting our electrical system from fuses to breakers, among other things). I made crib sheets (cheap-o) and painted our crib when I didn’t like it (lazy) and learned to crochet to create a mobile (finished but not assembled). We made cubbies rather than buy shelves. Now, with four weeks left until our due date, we’re installing recessed lighting and an awesome fan in the kiddo’s room.

In exchange, we never got around to moving the vintage desk out of that room so it has now become a changing table. We’re skipping window treatments and any but the most basic of decorations. And, yea, it’s week 36 and we’re still working on various projects. That’s how we roll.

A baby shower: My family o’ partiers lives a thousand miles away, our friends are widely dispersed and not terribly grand in number (not counting online friends), and the late-breaking offer I got to host a baby shower for us came with the expectation that it would be held here, at our home. Sooooo, yea, we’re skipping it. The idea of people looking at me and guessing at my girth and feeling compelled to buy us stuff made me uncomfortable anyway, though I understand the desire of people who love you to help you out and celebrate your impending life-changer. Still, I’m quite relieved to have skipped the party. We’ll do a Sip ‘n’ See after the kiddo comes, yes, probably here at home, and it’ll be fun. People will be focused on him rather than us and we won’t feel weird about throwing our own party.

*I’m not saying they’re not cool trends or that YOU shouldn’t do them, only that they’re not appropriate or joyful for me. I’m 100% supportive of you doing it, really. In fact, I really enjoy reading about or seeing every single thing listed. Some just aren’t right for me. And if you’re pregnant and feeling overwhelmed by expectations — even especially Blog Land ones — just remember you get to opt in (or out)!

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4 thoughts on “Popular pregnancy stuff I'm not doing, part II”

Good for you! I think everyone should only do the things they want to or feel is necessary for them. We didn’t do weekly bump photos (though did compromise on every 4 weeks). And, we are definitely not done with the nursery and I’m 33 weeks. The world will not end if we’re not completely done by the time baby comes. I am certain she does not care. 🙂

I am impressed that even without having energy in the 2nd trimester, you still managed to DIY some things! I got so lazy that I basically bought most of a room in Land of Nod to stop the madness of searching for options. HAHA.

Well, I’ve never done the prego thing and I would never be brave enough to attempt half the projects you and hubs have. So, you’re still a winner in my book 🙂
(Not that you ever needed me to validate that, nevermind ::open mouth, insert foot::). Are you happy? Just ask yourself that, because we all know that’s all that really matters!

I didnt do any of these except the baby shower either. Especially the maternity photos (totally not my thing.) Before I got pregnant, I intended to do weekly bump photos, but I didnt even show until like 26 or 27 weeks, so it wasnt worth it. Plus I would forget every week. Oh well =o)

Thanks for writing this. While I am nowhere close to pregnant, I appreciate you putting it out there that it’s okay to not do these things. I found a way to get out of of a bridal shower, but I don’t know how the heck I would get out of a baby shower. Have a good weekend!